Primary detonating explosive



- ble of such use.

Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE No Drawing. Application September 15, 1937, Serial No. 163,917

6 Claims.

This invention relates to primary detonating explosives or initiators for high explosives.

I-Ieretofore mercury fulminate and lead azide have been used, substantially to the exclusion of all other materials, as initiators for high explosives. Each of these materials, while satisfactory from the standpoint of performance, possesses certain properties that are objectionable and efiorts have constantly been made to find suitable substitutes for them.

I have found that a material heretofore believed to be incapable of detonating high explosives can be used in conjunction with an oxygen carrier to produce a highly satisfactory primary detonating explosive or initiator. The material which I propose to use is sulphur nitride, (N484). According to available literature, this material has heretofore been considered incapable of use as a detonator for high explosives. I have found that by properly mixing it with an oxygen carrier that readily releases oxygen, such as potassium chlorate, a very satisfactory initiator or primary detonating explosive can be produced.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to employ so-called oxidizing accelerators in combination with primary detonating explosives. The use of potassium chlorate in the present material isnot to be confused with the use of it and similar salts in conjunction with the primary detonating explosives of the prior art. Where potassium chlorate and other salts have been used in conjunction with primary detonating explosives, such as mercury fulminate, the material with which the salt is'mixed is capable of detonating high explosives alone and the addition of potassium chlorate or other salt is not for the purpose of making a material that would otherwise not be satisfactory as adetonator capa- As stated above, sulphur nitride alone is incapable of use as a primary detonating explosive and this has been pointed out frequently in the literature. I am aware of no prior instance wherein a material in itself incapable of use as a detonator, can be employed as a primary detonating explosive when mixed with this or similar salts.

While various oxygen carriers may be used employed with sulphur nitride to produce a satis factory primary detonating compound, I prefer to use potassium chlorate. Other salts which will give satisfactory results are sodium chlorate, sodium bromate and potassium bromate.

In producing the primary detonating explosive forming the subject matter of the present invention, potassium chlorate and sulphur nitride are mixed. I find that a mixture of equal proportions of the materials produces a highly satisfactory product, although these proportions may be widely varied. Satisfactory results may be obtained with mixtures containing from 35 to percent of sulphur nitride and from 65 to 35 percent of potassium chlorate. The material is mixed and then loaded under suitable pressure in the usual detonator casing, caps or tubes and employed to detonate high explosives in the same manner that the known initiators or detonators are employed. It may be used to detonate any type of high explosive, such as dynamite, tetryl, trinitrotoluol and other known high explosives. The minimum quantity of the mixture which should be used to obtain satisfactory results is .15 gram. The charge of .15 gram is based upon a modern compound detonator having an inside diameter of approximately .22". A cup of this diameter requires a charge of approximately .21 gram of mercury fulminate. In such devices the primary detonating explosive is arranged in proximity to a secondary detonating explosive. In the old type detonator, in which the primary detonating explosive alone is used, a larger charge is required. In detonator casings of larger diameter a larger charge is also required but the relation of the size of the charge to the diameter of the cup remains approximately a constant.

I claim:

1. A primary detonating composition comprising sulphur nitride and an oxidizing agent selected from the class consisting of alkali metal chlorates and alkali metal bromates.

2. A primary detonating composition comprising sulphur nitride and potassium chlorate.

3. A primary detonating composition comprising from 35 to 65 percent sulphur nitride and from 65 to 35 percent potassium chlorate.

, 4. A primary detonating composition comprising substantially 50 percent sulphur nitride and. substantially 50 percent potassium chlorate.

5. A primary detonating composition comprising sulphur nitride and sodium bromate.

Y 6. A primary detonating composition comprising sulphur nitride and sodium chlorate.

LEROY R. CARL. 

